Line One: Hollywood

Lately denials have been flying all over Hollywood. Warner Bros. Pictures
denied that (contrary to a New York Post item) Marilyn Manson had been
cast in the upcoming kiddie flick "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
The two actors' unions, SAG and AFTRA, denied that they are at war with
each other. Warren Beatty's publicist denied that Beatty was responsible
for the delayed production and runaway budget of "Town and Country," a
much-troubled movie coming soon with Beatty, Diane Keaton and Goldie
Hawn.

And so when I heard the news on Monday that Tom Cruise and Nicole
Kidman had parted ways, I waited for the denial. Cruise's formidable
publicist, Pat Kingsley, will be all over this one, I thought. She'll run
down those rumors like a redneck in a pickup truck, hitch 'em dead to
the back and drag them down Sunset Boulevard. And then came the shocking
report over the Associated Press wire, with Kingsley confirming the awful
truth.

After the shock wore off, I wondered, why do I care? I don't know
Tom and Nicole. The closest I ever got to Tom was on a phone interview.
The closest I got to Nicole was in a Broadway theater. She was onstage
naked. I was in a box seat, fully clothed as far as I recall.

I care
about Tom and Nicole for the same reason everyone cares about Tom and
Nicole. The private lives of movie stars are our nation's longest-running
reality show. We watch their movies to laugh or cry or defy death. We
watch their lives so we can dream. So rich! So beautiful! And when they
fall, we must admit, we feel a bit better about ourselves. But this time,
the thrill is missing. For there was always something vulnerable about
the Tom and Nicole marriage. When they wed 11 years ago, both were still
in their twenties. It's easier to grow apart than to grow together. Despite
their efforts never to spend more than two weeks apart, it was often a
long-distance relationship (time apart was the reason their publicist
cited for the end of the affair). And the marriage was battered by
external forces. They fought back, suing a London publication that
alleged that Cruise was gay and the marriage was a sham.

They won the
battle in court, but left embattled nonetheless. They were scrappy when
it came to their marriage, and admirably so. Both are known as very nice
people. (OK, I don't really get the Scientology thing and they made
some bad movies together, but who am I to throw stones?) Unless one of
them is revealed to have been cheating with, say, Russell Crowe or Meg
Ryan, neither is considered the bad guy in the breakup. I wish both of
them well. And I'll forget about that "Far and Away" sequel, for better
or worse.